


Once a Rebel

by wellthatjusthappend



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Hero Worship, Kori is alive because I reject the original timeline, Mar'i is an adult, Tom has some teenage angst, Tom's POV, discussion of the cycle of violence, first chapter is just the Grayson's, her love affair with Damian is less than secret, less than perfect family dynamics, otherwise named how Jason get's an apprentice, vigilante neighborhood development, which sounds like a weird tag but here we are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-06-28 23:56:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15717687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wellthatjusthappend/pseuds/wellthatjusthappend
Summary: Thomas Grayson doesn't want to be the perfect little son of so perfect heroes. Mar’i is always so golden and pretty. Everyone's perfect little princess (literally). But Tom is tired of always doing what his parents want him to and so he decides to learn from the rebel of the family that no one but his mom will talk about:Jason Todd.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is from that one universe where Dick and Starfire have a baby and get married… and then have another baby. An old Teen Titan’s thing that was forgotten for a while and then recently has been brought back into canon. Though I’m still not following that canon because parts of it are seriously infuriating… meaning, business as usual basically.

Most people don’t really think much about Thomas Grayson.

Why would they when all the rest of his family are so dazzlingly incredible? His mother, Koriand’r, Queen of Tamaraneans is a beloved ruler and a powerful general. She has saved multiple galaxies and planets from the most powerful beings in the universe and she was once even the leader of Earth’s Titans as Starfire. Most people think his father, Dick Grayson, is just her human consort, but everyone who matters knows that he is also one of Earth’s mightiest warriors. He was the first Robin, founder of the Teen Titans, Nightwing, and even sometimes Batman. Beloved by all who know him: heroes, civilians, and even villains alike. If that wasn’t enough, Tom’s older sister, Mar’i Grayson, Crown Princess of the Tamaraneans, is so far turning our to be just as incredible as their parents. She was Batman’s (Damian Wayne) favorite Robin for a while and now she works with Batman’s Outsiders (another team founded by their father) as Nightstar and has already gained a reputation much like their parents.

It’s a lot to live up to, and frankly Tom doesn’t care for all the expectations that are being thrust upon him.

“Seriously, Tommy,” Mar’i sighed, “If you want Dad to stop nagging, then just pick _something_ that you want to do and stick with it.”

“That’s the problem!” Tom snapped, “He says he just wants whatever makes me happy, but he really has a very particular _something_ already in mind and anything that I pick that’s different is just going make him use that I’m-really-disappointed-but-I’m-holding-it back look that he get’s.”

“Then don’t pick something lame,” Mar’i said disinterestedly.

“Thanks,” Tom made a face at his sister.

“Anytime, little brother,” Mar’i said pulling out her sketchpad.

Tom glared at her for a few moments longer, just so she would fully know how much he was unimpressed with her advice. Mar’i ignored him. Tom grumbled to himself a little longer before getting up and wandering over to look at what his sister was doing.

“Is that supposed to be you?” he squinted at the drawing.

“Yes, you jerk,” Mar’i said elbowing him away.

“It looks like a troll with boobs,” Tom giggled.

“Shut up, I don’t need it to look like a masterpiece, the tailor just needs to have the general gist of what I’m picturing,” Mar’i huffed.

“Looking to make some armored lingerie?” Tom teased.

“Stop being so immature, you know I’m redesigning my costume,” she snapped giving him a look and tugging her sketchbook away.

“You’re redesigning your costume?” Dick said as he walked through the door, “Why didn’t you tell me? I could help you with what sorts of materials are going to be best to request from the tailor.”

“Oh… that’s okay Dad. I think I know what I want already,” Mar’i said badly disguising her dismay as their father tried to come around and take a look at her sketch.

“No, no, Dad, you _definitely_ should help with these designs,” Tom grinned ignoring the evil look Mar’i threw him.

“No, really, that’s not necessary,” Mar’i said weakly.

“I’m sure it’s… hmm,” Dick trailed off as he caught sight of her drawing, blanching slightly as Tom snickered and Mar’i flushed, “That will be really- erm, you’re sure to make an impression in that, but, uh- how attached are you to this design sweetie?”

“What design?” Koriand’r asked coming in as well.

“Mar’i is designing a new costume,” Tom said innocently.

“I hate this family,” sighed Mar’I putting her head down on the table.

“Hey now, that’s a bit of an extreme reaction,” Dick said making a quelling gesture.

“Yeah, Dad, imagine if anyone one in _this_ family was dramatic,” Mar’i said sarcastically.

“I only meant- well, you may have a point there, kiddo, but-! Uh, I _do_ like what you’ve got going here- lots of flare and color, can never go wrong with that- I just… worry that you don’t have enough… armor.” Dick finished lamely.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Tom snickered, enjoying the fact that for once the family’s focus wasn’t on fixing _him_.

“You never had that complaint when it was Mom’s costume,” Mar’i accused their dad.

“Mmm, you father also used to have a neckline much like that,” Kori hummed approvingly, while Dick spluttered and turned an interesting shade of red, “I think you’ll look beautiful.”

“Thanks Mom,” Mar’i said giving her a tired smile.

“Yeah, but how will you keep your boobies from slipping out when you’re fighting baddies?” Tom asked in mock confusion, cupping his own chest dramatically to illustrate.

“Oh, there are plenty of techniques!” Kori said brightly, “So long as there’s enough support-“

“You’re so freaking immature, Tom,” Mar’i glared at him, looking embarrassed but mostly pissed. Oh, she was definitely going to get back at him for this one.

“Ok, ok, Tom stop harassing your sister,” Dick said quellingly, “Mar’i, you should consider that if your costume comes with the risk of indecent exposure it may be an indication that you should-“

“Oh, I don’t want to hear any costume criticism from _you,_ Dad: I’ve seen the stuff you used to wear.” Mar’i said.

“I’m sure Damian will _love_ the new costume too,” Tom couldn’t help but tease, “He might even take the stick out of his ass long enough to-“

“Shut. Up.” Mar’i snarled.

“Wait, what’s this about Damian?” Dick asked sharply. Kori simply sighed.

“You always _do this_ ,” Mar’i hissed at Tom, ignoring their parents.

“I was just making an observation-“

“You were _just_ making an ass of yourself because you’re jealous,” Mar’i glared at him.

“As if I’d be jealous of a costume like that,” Tom snapped, temper flaring. A part of him regretted it instantly seeing the flicker of hurt on his siter's face. Another part of him, that he liked a lot less, felt gratified to have put it there. He knew he’d hate himself for that part later once he’d cooled down. Bruce had once noted that they both had a temper much like their father’s... it wasn't exactly a compliment, hence the fact that it was coming from Bruce in the first place.

“If you’re so creative, why don’t you try doing this, huh? I made my own name, my own costume, and my own identity out in the real world. You just sit around in your stupid hoodie all day.” Snapped Mar’i.

“Hey now-“ Dick started.

“At least I am my own person and don’t just copy everything Mom and Dad do. Even your ‘own’ superhero name is copied from them: you just took their titles and mashed them together like some 14-year-old’s ship name. Nightstar? Really? Daughter of Nightwing and Starfire?” scoffed Tom.

“Tom, that’s really-“ Kori said frowning.

“You know what? Get out. This is my apartment and my life. Come talk to me when you’ve actually made something of yourself,” Mar’i said standing up.

“Maybe I will!” Tom snapped standing as well and storming out to the apartment building, making sure to slam the door extra hard on his way out. Not the most mature response, but it certainly made him feel better.

He walked angrily until his sister’s building faded in the distance and he realized that he was at the docks. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, Tom jumped and shakily flew to the top of one of the old cranes used for loading crates onto the huge cargo ships.

Being high places always made him feel a lot calmer.

“Thomas…” his mother said, landing gracefully next to him.

Oh course she'd come after him.

“I’m not going to apologize,” Tom said without looking at her.

“You’re sister isn’t quite ready to apologize either, so perhaps that is for the best,” Kori said, and Tom could hear the smile in her voice.

“Dad stay to console his favorite child?” Tom asked bitterly.

“Your father and sister are a lot alike; he knows how to comfort her. She struggles with many of the same things you do, although they may look different on the outside. But never believe that he doesn’t care for you, even when he has trouble understanding you,” Kori said wrapping him up in first her hair and then her arms.

“Sure doesn’t feel like it some time’s,” grumbled Tom, relaxing anyway into the soothing fire that surrounded him.

“Being in your father’s shadow can be hard,” Kori said, “I know: I used to have to lead the team he founded and everyone was always comparing the way we did things. There was a lot of pressure. But I learned that even if I ended up doing some of the same things, it would still be different because _I_  was different... and so are you.”

“But it’s not just Dad, it’s you and Mar’i too. Everyone expects me to be Robin and be a leader and do all these incredible things and I don’t want to,” Tom said.

“Then don’t,” shrugged Kori, “You’re hopes and dreams will always be your own. Don’t let other’s try to carve them into their own.”

“So, what if I want to run around and wear a bedazzled jock and nipple covers?” asked Tom testily.

“Then I will help you find some and try not to be too jealous,” Kori said seriously, though a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. Tom giggled slightly at the thought despite himself.

“Dad would lose his shit,” Tom said shaking his head.

“And in the end, he doesn’t get to decide how fabulous you get to look,” Kori shrugged.

“I love you Mom,” Tom smiled and leaned against her a little more.

“And I you, my Starlight,” she said kissing his forehead.

Tom basked in that a little while.

“Are you really going to let Mar’i wear that new costume? She only wants to because it’ll make Batman lose his train of thought and start blushing and stuttering angrily at her,” grumbled Tom.

“But she will be having fun, and it’s important for her to carve out her own sense of what makes her feel beautiful. Even if she only wears the costume for a day, it’s important that she could continue to wear it for however long she wants. As for Damian… the two of them are adults, and they can negotiate their own relationship.” Kori said with a fond smile.

“In theory,” grumbled Tom, “they fight all the time.”

“And some time’s that is the most delightful courtship dance of all,” Kori sighed happily.

“Ew,” Tom wrinkled his nose.

His mom just laughed.

“Perhaps it would be good for you to speak to someone outside our family about the trouble in your heart,” Kori said thoughtfully after another moment, “Lian? She certainly knows about what it is like to have two parents who both have very different ideas about what she should grow up to be.”

“Yeah, but Lian doesn’t get the whole Bat legacy thing and how much pressure comes with that. The Arrows are so laid back,” Tom complained.

“Maybe so, but she is your friend, and I think it is important that you have people that will walk with you as you discover what you want,” Kori said, giving him a little squeeze.

“I’m not completely clueless,” Tom grumbled, “I know at least what I _don’t_ want.”

“That’s a start,” Kori said encouragingly.

“I don’t want to be a politician or a Tamaranean representative like Mar’i sometimes is,” Tom said firmly, “I don’t want just some civilian job either. I don’t want to work under Batman, but I don’t want to not be able to work in Gotham. He’s so frustrating and inflexible; I can’t believe Mar’i likes him. The Protocol for Gotham has barely changed since the _first_ Batman. If anything it’s gotten stricter, which is stupid because it’s obviously not effective enough or crime in Gotham would have gotten better not worse these last… however long it’s been. I want to help, but all the ways of helping are all _stupid_ and not _me_.”

“I agree. You know, I used have that same conversation with- oh! Oh, my, that- hmm…” Kori paused all over.

“Mom?”

“A moment, my Starlight, I just had an idea,” Kori said giving him a squeeze.

“What sort of idea?” asked Tom cautiously, trying not to get excited. Some time’s Mom’s ideas could be pretty… out there.

“Well I don’t know if this will be the answer you’re looking for, but I think there’s someone you should talk to. You’ve met him before a few times when you were small, but he and your father don’t get along these days so I don’t know if you remember him. Oh, but he has been very dear to my heart for a long time and he will know precisely what you’re talking about.” Kori said, her hair shifting excitedly.

“Who?” asked Tom.

“Why don’t you go meet him yourself? Here, I'll give you directions. Last I heard, he was living around… here,” Kori said drawing out a quick map for him, “If you’re interested, go around the area and where ever there’s the most trouble, he’ll probably be in the thick of it.”

This was why his mom was great.

“Ok, I’ll give it a try,” Tom said grinning at her. As if he wouldn’t go meet a stranger after the guy and Dad didn’t get along.

“Be brave, be sure, and speak your mind and he will not be able to turn you away,” Kori advised, kissing his forehead.

“I think I can manage that,” grinned Tom.

“I know you can, tell me how it goes afterwards,” smiled Kori letting him up so he could leap lightly off the crane and float to the ground.

Tom grinned and gave her a wave as he looked at his little map again.

“Time to go see Jason Todd, I guess,” said Tom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been in my WIP ever since I saw that cover page of Batman Damian and the new Red Hood, Thomas Grayson. I decided since I’m wrapping up a few stories before I go offline for Q4, I should get this one out since it was pretty much done. 
> 
> If you’re interested in the canon that I am ignoring: 
> 
> 1) Kori is still alive. I’m not into the dead mothers trope for male tragedy/writers not knowing how to portray female character not in the midst of having a romance arc. Therefore, our Queen is alive and showing the world how it’s done.  
> 2) Dick does not become Superman’s Red Robin in this (and Dick gave Jason flack for stealing his identity) because Dick really doesn’t need to go back to being someone’s Robin. He’s had that character arc already.  
> 3) And then I didn’t like the whole message about the younger generation not caring about anything and needing the older generation to come take over again and show everyone what being a hero means because to me it a) strikes me as unimaginative and b) really just sounds like someone who's threatened by the new generation. I’m not a huge fan of nostalgia tropes. 
> 
> I do laugh a lot about the fact that Damian and Mar’i are cannon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really could be a most longer story, but for now it’ll be complete ☺

“Get off the street, kid,” the man in front of Tom ordered, “It’s about to get messy.”

“I can help,” Tom insisted, eyeing the thugs that were closing in on the area.

“You sure as fuck can: by getting out of here so I don’t have to worry about taking care of your ass while I take care of these stains.” The man grunted.

And that was a little insulting, but mostly Tom was thrilled by the fact that the man wasn’t censoring himself around him. He had that sort of rough demeanor with just this side of vulgarity to be refreshing rather than repulsive.

But maybe that was just Tom’s opinion.

“I’m trained you know; I can hold my own.” Tom said stubbornly. This guy had a Red helmet, a leather jacket, and frankly dangerous looking weapons strapped to intimidating thighs. Tom didn’t need his mom’s description to know this was exactly who he’d been searching for.

“Good for you, now get the fuck out of here.” Jason said.

“No,” Tom said sticking out his chin.

Jason let out a string of curses as the first thug charged them. It was actually quite impressive, and Tom would have to remember some of those for later.

Bullets, fists, and screams quickly filled the air as Jason waded into the sea of overly beefy thugs. Of course, Tom had watched his parents fight villains for long enough that there were few thing’s that could impress him. But this was really… different. Almost raw. Brutally efficient and distinctly lacking the flashy unnecessary flips and poses that Tom’s whole family was fond of. It felt almost like a physical shock to watch.

This wasn’t a show or performance that would lead to the taking out of the bad guys… this was a _fight_.

Tom couldn’t keep all his focus on Jason though because some of the thugs had snuck around him and were headed right towards _him._ He heard Jason cursing, but Tom just grinned broadly; Perhaps this could be a chance to show off a bit. All of a sudden, he really wanted to impress the Red Hood.

He struck out to disarm the first guy who came too close. Tom rolled out of the way of more gunshots and leapt forward kicking up high and nailing the thug in front of him right in the chin before pivoting back and knocking over the other two with a split kick. To his surprise though, the man stumbled back a few steps before charging forward again. Tom tried another move and another, but it wasn’t making much of a difference. He frowned, feeling sweat trickle down his face as retreated a few steps.

What was he doing wrong? He was sure that his hits were landing, but they didn’t seem to be slowing the men down at _all_. He was pretty sure that they were human but they weren’t freaking acting like it. If this kept up he was going to have maybe fly to get away. Each of the thugs had at least 100 pounds on him each and he would tire out eventually… not to mention if one of them got in a lucky hit, Tom would be down for good.

Then blood was spraying out suddenly as one of the thugs collapsed on a shattered knee. The other two were turning but they were too slow. Jason shot out the other’s knees as well and then flipped the gun around with a flash and brought it down hard on the last thug’s temple.

Tom watched him crumple, not sure exactly what he was feeling. He looked at the crumpled mas of bloody bodies back were Hood had been fighting before. He felt relieved that it looked like most of them were still twitching in pain, but-

“None of them are dead,” Jason said shortly, “Let’s go. Unless you want to testify to the cops what your just saw?”

Tom shook his head feeling almost shocky. There was blood on his clothes… that’d never happened before. They might all be alive, but most of those thugs were never going to make a full recovery in some regard or another.

At least he knew now why Jason and Dad didn’t get along.

“I told you to run the fuck away,” muttered Jason, gripping him by the back of the neck and steering him firmly away from the scene, “Kid’s like you shouldn’t have to see shit like this.”

“I’m not a kid, Jason,” Tom snapped.

Despite the helmet, Tom was pretty sure he was getting an assessing _look_ for the use of his real name.

“No name’s on the street, your highness,” Jason warned gripping him a little harder.

Tom wrinkled his nose at the term, but that disappeared quickly as he realized what that meant.

“You know who I-?“

“Of course I know who you are, kid. Even if you weren’t the spitting image of them, you fight just like your parents trained you.” Jason said gruffly.

“Yeah, I- why wasn’t it working though? I was sure I was landing those hits,” Tom frowned, “Were those guys really not human?”

“Nah, they were human,” Jason said with disgust.

“But-“

“Venom, kid,” Jason answered, “Bane might be gone, but there’s still plenty of stupid shits out there that worship his ideals and are ready and willing to get pumped full of the stuff to terrorize the locals for sport.”

“Oh…”

“Your parents taught you how to defend yourself and fight, but they’ve guided you mostly towards moves that will stun and not seriously injure people. But when people are that hyped up on things like venom, soft attacks like that are not going to be effective,” Jason explained.

Tom couldn’t help but sulk a bit at the idea that his parents had been censoring his training like that. He couldn’t help but think that someone like Jason would never have held back stuff like that. He’s seemed like the person who’d teach even the inadvisable dangerous moves on the off chance that they might save his life. Once the thought had entered his head, it was hard to dislodge.

Jason suddenly guided him sharply into an alley and pressed on a brick in the wall causing a hidden doorway to spring open.

“Oh! A secret hide out!” Tom said excitedly, “This wasn’t on Batman’s map.”

“Of course not,” Jason scoffed pushing him forward through the new doorway, “If the original Batman couldn’t track me, then the new one definitely can’t.”

“Catch you… are you a criminal?” asked Tom.

“Of course I am,” snorted Jason, “So is everyone in this community. The fact that people like to forget that being a vigilante is illegal doesn’t make it any less true. I just don’t usually pretend to be a hero as well.”

“Do you… do you kill people?” Tom asked hesitantly.

“Sometimes,” Jason admitted with a sigh, “Only when it’s necessary. Most of the time it’s kind of a mental thing. The criminals have to know that there is real and permanent consequences if they go too far. This usually keeps all but the truly insane or evil from taking advantage of the innocent in any of my neighborhoods.”

“I guess, but…” Tom frowned, trailing off as Jason sat him down and began heating some water on the stove, “What are you doing?”

“You’re shoes may look cool, kiddo, but they’re shit for doing proper kicks in. If we don’t get them soaking soon then they’re going to swell up like balloons and I’m gonna have to explain that to your parents,” Jason said matter-of-factly.

“My name is Tom,” he said with a slight glare.

“You should also be careful about throwing punches without properly taping or wearing gloves,” Jason said ignoring him and bringing the first aid kit for the cuts on Tom’s knuckles, “I should know: I almost ruined my own hands like that when I was a teenager. I’d get so mad sometimes I’d jump right into fights sometimes. Still not nearly as bad about that as your dad though.”

“Dad used to be reckless?” asked Tom curiously. It was hard to picture. His dad was such a worrywart these days.

“Fuck yeah, he had a reputation of leaping first and looking later,” snorted Jason.

“I- well, actually that does sound about right, but-“

“But he’s different now, I hear you. Better control really does come with age, believe it or not.” Jason sighed pulling off his helmet, “I have more control too as well. The people I fight only get as injured as I want them too these days. That could be better or worse, depending on how you look at it.”

“I… oh,” Tom said trying to focus on when that meant for the people tonight and not… well, Jason wasn’t exactly what he’d expected. His curly hair was streaked with white that looked almost unnatural except that he could tell that it went right to the roots. He had a serious looking scar down the side of his face, but even that couldn’t distract from the jarring fact that his face was relatively unlined. Even Tom’s Mom and Dad had the beginnings of little wrinkles at the corners of their eyes and mouths, “How old are you?”

“A few years younger than your dad and a bit older than your Uncle Tim. Give or take a bit. The exact year is difficult because it depends on if you count the time when I was dead,” Jason shrugged, a tired look crossing his features.

“ _Really?_ ”

“If your asking about this,” Jason gestured to his face, “then it seems like the Lazarus Pit messes with the way that I show age.”

“ _Cool,”_ breathed Tom.

“Cool?” Jason repeated, expression quirking ever so slightly.

“Can you do anything else?” asked Tom egarly.

“Hah,” Jason breathed out a surprised laugh, “You’re something else, kid. Most people would be at least a little wary hearing that. That pit insanity thing is not made up.”

“Yeah, but you’re not insane,” Tom said stubbornly, “Or you might be, I don’t know you that well, but you’re still _good_.”

“Thanks,” Jason laughed ruffling his hair. Normally, Tom wouldn’t tolerate that, but when most people did that they were also belittling him in some way or another. Jason just seemed warm… and maybe a little bit fond?

Jason came back in with a warm basin on water and set it on the floor in front of him while Tom hurriedly kicked off his shoes. The moment he put his feet in the water he hissed slightly. He hadn’t realized how much his feet had started to ache already.

Tom reminded himself to go out and find shoes with better support. Maybe with steel toes and heals too.

Jason, for his part, seemed content to start unloading his weaponry and start taking it apart and cleaning it carefully now that Tom was taken care of. He was a lot more heavily armed than Tom’s parent’s ever were. Tom didn’t even know all the names of all those weapons, and it made him a bit excited.

The red helmet was still sitting beside him, the empty lenses sharp and intimidating.

“This helmet is pretty cool,” Tom said picking it up and examining it, “Where’d you get the idea for it?”

“That helmet has gone through a lot of versions over the years,” Jason said, a rueful expression on his face, “But I choose it in part because I knew it’d get Bruce’s attention. You see, the Red Hood before me was the man who later became the Joker… who was also the one who killed me.”

“The Joker?” Tom asked, knowing that he looked sick, “The psycho that put Aunt Babs in a wheelchair? That beat Uncle Tim until he had to quit being Batman?”

“Yup. He’s one of those monsters that could never be reformed. He would have gained the death penalty a hundred times over if the courts were capable of handling cases like him. Bruce was almost protective of the psycho though. Your Dad killed him once and Bruce brought him back.” Jason said looking tired, “He’s gone now for good, at least.”

“Dad killed…” Tom blinked feeling like his world was tilting.

“He’s got one hell of a temper on him,” Jason said with a quite look, “He regrets that lapse immensely. Killing people when you’re angry should always be avoided if possible. It makes you numb in the wrong ways and can make you feel like the worst kind of scum afterwards even if the person deserved it.”

“Oh…” Tom didn’t know what to say to that.

They sat in silence for a bit while Jason finished taking care of his guns and knifes, but Tom’s gaze kept on being dragged back to the red helmet.

“Why’d you stay the Red Hood?” asked Tom at last.

“Hmm?”

“I mean,” Tom clarified, “If the point in the beginning was to get Bruce’s attention, why, y’know, keep it afterwards if it represented so much bad stuff?”

“Hah, you know, no has asked me that before,” laughed Jason quietly.

“Well?” prompted Tom a little impatiently.

“Part of it comes from the fact that I had finally made something of my own identity that wasn’t created by Bruce or your dad,” Jason shrugged, “But more importantly, the Red Hood’s have been a thing a lot longer than Batman has, and a part of me hopes it’ll keep on going after I’ve kicked it for good. Before the Joker, they had a much different reputation, you see. Oh they were always slightly on the bloody and less than lawful side, but they’d often have a certain… Robin Hood type vibe going on.”

“Steal from the rich to feed the poor?”

“Ish.” Jason grinned, “They were usually less than savory characters in one way or another, but- heh- those of us who grew up in the narrows usually liked them just fine. There’s always been a bunch of them too, often at the same time. When one got killed or taken in, there was always another one that has appeared.”

“ _Cool_ ,” repeated Tom.

Jason really wasn’t at all what he’d expected. He wasn’t sure what he expected… just not this. A lot of what he represented went right up against a lot of the stuff his dad had lectured him about as a kid. Though not particularly against what his mom had taught him. And… he was so so _cool._

A part of Tom was quite convinced that he could sit on that couch and listen to Jason talk for hours.

“I’m really not all that cool, kid,” Jason said ruefully.

“You are though,” Tom insisted, “If more heroes were willing to be harder on criminals like you, there’d be hardly any crime left!”

“Whoa there kid, let me cut you off right there before you get too dystopian,” Jason said raising an eyebrow, “The world doesn’t really work like that. It can’t just be the hard violence. There has to be other sorts of shit paired with it or all you’re going to do is make a bigger problem.”

“I’m not talking about hero’s controlling the government or anything,” Tom rolled his eyes, “I’m just saying that the way things are, hero’s are just caught in this cycle where we- I mean, they- just catch the criminals, lock them up, the criminals get out again and do something _worse_ … There has to be more permanent consequences or it just keeps going and going! You _know_ what I mean. You have to know, after growing up in Gotham and all.”

“You’re not wrong about that cycle,” Jason nodded in agreement, “And I won’t say that when I get really pissed off I don’t think the same thing sometimes. But technically, that’s only a small part of what I do. Your dad give you that lecture about the cycle of violence yet?”

“Too many times,” Tom wrinkled his nose.

“Seems like a lot of horse shit coming from a person whose main mission in life revolves around a hell of a lot of violence, right?” Jason grinned at him.

“Well… pretty much,” Tom grinned back, thrilled that even though Jason called him ‘kid’ he didn’t alter his language around him and took what he said seriously. He wished his Dad hadn’t kept the family away. Tom had a feeling that Jason would have been his favorite not-Uncle.

“As annoying as it is, that stuff isn’t just rich fucks talking out of their ass. Well, sometimes it is, but only when it conveniences them and makes them look good. But overall? That shit is as real as it get’s and if you ever spend much time on the streets you’re going to see the cycle of violence up close and personal far too much.” Jason said seriously, “The main thing is that as you go out and stop the sick fuckers out there, you have to be aware of the fact that every time you take someone down, even if their sorry ass is just going to jail, your taking out a chunk of the community at that’s gonna leave a vacuum. Maybe that’s a power vacuum? Maybe it’s a sudden loss of income in families and business that really can’t afford it. Either way, if you’re not careful, what’s going to fill that vacuum is a whole lot more crime.”

“That… is not the way my dad explained that,” Tom said because he wasn’t sure what else to say. It was a lot to process, but also didn’t want to look stupid in front of Jason.

“That’s not too surprising,” Jason nodded, “Your dad is kind of an emotional guy, and he experiences the world through an emotional lens. He probably explained it as more of a vengeance cycle, right? Where one person get’s hurt and it makes that the people close to them decide to hurt back, except harder. And there is a lot of that, but there’s also so much more to it too.”

“Isn’t there always going to be some of that? The vacuum stuff?” Tom asked, “I thought that was just kind of something that you had to deal with when you went after criminals.”

“Yup, and at the end of the day, sometimes you have to because of the harm people are doing to the community outweighs the risk.” Jason said, “It’s still right to deal out _justice_ wherever you can, because we both know Gotham needs it more than most. But, you have be around to deal with the aftermath as well.”

“That sounds… difficult,” grimaced Tom, “And a bit like it could be super messy too.”

“Oh it is,” promised Jason, “And I’m not going to lie: I haven’t always been super good at that second part, but I have always know it was needed. And let me tell you: not cleaning up a wound? Even if your stiches are shit, and it hurts like a mother, and you really really need to be doing other things, like, yesterday? It’s still way better than dealing with the festering infection later.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Tom said slowly.

“I send more people to the hospital or the grave than to the jail. Because the sad thing is? When you’re talking about Blackgate for most of these people? There is no coming back from that place in a real way. It’s a bigger strain on the families, prolongs the suffering, and if the people do get out? There’s usually no jobs that will take them after that, the lawful community rejects them, and so they go right back to the gangs or whatever they were doing before, only this time? It more likely to get serious because they had a whole lot of prison time learning new skills from other people in prison.” Jason sighed.

“What about places like Wayne Enterprises? Don’t they provide work for addicts trying to rehabilitate and people with criminal records?” asked Tom.

“Bruce is stubborn to the point of stupidity sometimes, but he knows his shit,” Jason said inclining his head, “The world needs rich powerful people who are willing to do the research and carry some of the cost of creating long lasting change. I’ve always let him handle that whole world though. Even if I wasn’t legally dead, the rich have a tendency to only listen to insanely rich white men. They know I’m street trash, and I wouldn’t be able to move mountains the way Bruce sometimes can.”

“Does Damian get flack for not being white?” Tom asked suddenly. He’d never considered it.

“He does,” Jason confirmed, “But he’s got that aristocratic attitude going for him. The world was promised to him as his inheritance and he moves through life with an air of that knowledge. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s not a secret that he was the heir to the league of shadows. Therefore, most of the spineless rich fucks are going to do their best to get the hell out of his way even if they never like him much.”

“So what do you do?” asked Tom, “You implied that you weren’t just beating the, um, shit of criminals.”

“Good job, you almost didn’t hesitate when you cursed,” Jason praised.

“Fuck off,” Tom retorted, knowing his face was flushing deeply.

“Now you’re getting it,” Jason grinned.

Tom huffed.

“But in all honesty, most of my work involves working from the ground up. Whenever I take out I take out a bunch of scumbags, I try to have locals primed to fill those gaps in power in different way. Let them figure themselves out, build themselves up, and establish their own power. For instance, those guys tonight? They’ll go to the hospital and then a rehab facility for a good long while. I have an agreement with the hospitals and such so that they never charge the families of the scumbags I send there. This way, the there’s not a huge burden of debt on the family that would make them vulnerable to loan sharks,” Jason shrugged, “Things like that. I also own several business for the express purpose of handing them over to the bright locals that are willing to get the training to run it.”

“Wow…” Tom breathed.

“The idea,” Jason explained, “Is to make sure enable the locals as much as possible so that they can take care of themselves. Nobody likes being at the mercy of charity. No one knows what the community needs better than the people inside it. The key is giving them a way to do so that they can be proud of and will let them continue to grow.”

“And does it work?” asked Tom eagerly.

“A lot of the time,” Jason said with a look of real pride, “I can’t look after all of Gotham, that’s Batman’s beat. I have a section of the city and neighborhoods where I grew up- that I know really well- that I focus on. Not saying that always works or that it doesn’t get super messy sometimes, but… the crime in the area has decreased dramatically and the quality of life of the people there has been on a steady rise since I first started working the area. It’s why when the more straight-laced heroes start grumbling about my methods, people like Tim step in and quietly back me up. Batman doesn’t like me, but he doesn’t interfere with my territory unless there’s something big going down.”

“That’s incredible,” Tom breathed, “I can only imagine…”

The idea that had been turning around in his head since he first met Jason reared it’s head again.

“I want that,” Tom said suddenly with absolute certainty, standing up and stepping out to basin of to Jason, “I want to do that kind of work and live that kind of life.”

“I’m sure your parents already have excellent teachers on speed dial,” Jason commented.

“No, I- I want _you_ to teach me,” Tom said.

Jason went very still.

“Please, Jason, take me on,” Tom pleaded, “Let me be a Red Hood.”

“Kid…” Jason said warningly.

“I’ll follow you Jason, I-“ Tom struggled to put it into words, “Please- this is exactly the kind of thing I’ve been searching for.”

“Sorry kid, I don’t train child soldiers. Talk to Batman about that,” Jason said flatly.

“Batman is screwing my sister, I’m not training under him,” Tom said flatly, “Plus, he’s an asshole.”

Jason made a quite choked off sound.

“Anyway, it’s like you said, the Batman and Robin gig isn’t enough to make long lasting change in Gotham,” Tom insisted, “I don’t want to train under him, I want to train under _you_. I’ll be old enough to enlist in the army soon, I’m old enough for this.”

“…I’m not really suited to be anyone’s teacher,” Jason said at last.

“Let me be the judge of that.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about having your life on my hands on a consistent basis,” Jason frowned, “Never mind your parents murdering me if anything happed to you, I might do the job myself.”

“So train me until I’m good enough that you don’t have to worry about that,” Tom insisted.

Jason looked abruptly very tired, “There’s no such thing. You can do everything correct and something that’s still not going to be enough.”

“Then that wouldn’t be your fault.” Tom said, “Teach me anyway. I want to learn.”

They stared each other down for a moment before Jason turned away.

“…You dad will be pissed. He doesn’t like me too much these days,” Jason said at last.

“My mom will be happy,” Tom pointed out.

“If you’re just doing this out of some sort of teenage rebellion-“ Jason warned.

“Then I have good taste,” Tom finished for him, “But really, I want to do this. The fact that my dad is going to be mad is just a bonus, really.”

“Ha,” Jason smiled slightly shaking his head, looking like he was remembering something fondly, “Fine. We’ll give this a shot. But I get to say when you get to be on the street.”

“As another Red Hood?” Tom asked hopefully.

“As another Red Hood.” Jason confirmed, “Now sit back down and finish soaking your feet. I guess I need to make a few calls.”

“Alright,” Tom said eagerly, doing as he was told as Jason fished his phone out of his pocket and moved to the other room.

Tom immediately pulled out his own phone and began texting Lian.

_‘You’re going to be so jealous. Guess who I convinced to take me on as his apprentice?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last line is a bit of a teaser to the fact that Lian Harper also becomes a Red Hood in the Kingdom Come comics. And yes I know that’s not the original context for Lian since Jason didn’t emerge as the Red Hood for several more years, but… The picture of Jason getting to train up Lian and Thomas gives me no end of joy.
> 
> If I ever had time, I’d love to do a whole series of this AU, but it’s almost September so that’s probably not happening this year.


End file.
